It was a joke
by Selene69
Summary: It use to be a joke. I remember when the joke had started. VirgilRichie


Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/n: This came from no where. Now it does change perspective. It goes from Richie's point of view to **third person**. **Third person** is in bold. This story is really just what I see should happen in the future. Ignoring the show and comic as I write it. Please enjoy. *bow*

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It use to be a joke. I remember when the joke had started. It was truth or dare with Frieda and Daisy, school appropriate version, and Frieda had made a comment after Virgil had, bordly, asked Daisy her favorite color. Frieda had called it gay, and Daisy had come up with the dare out of no where.

"Richie. I dare you to kiss Virgil." I hadn't picked dare, but I went with it. I'd placed a light kiss on his cheek and he'd toppled off the bench. Daisy had rolled her eyes, "I meant on the lips." I'd just stared at her, "Oh, come on! There is no way that you haven't thought about it before." I had, but that didn't mean I wanted to kiss him.

But I didn't have a choice. He'd pushed me back on the bench, covered my mouth and kissed me, or rather his thumb. I'd closed my eyes for effect and put my arms around his neck. Daisy and Frieda screamed in shock and… joy? We'd "pulled away" and started to laugh uncontrollably. Frieda and Daisy had never given it up. We were never allowed to forget the joke.

Then it stopped being a joke. Virgil became Static and he was slowly losing the ability to laugh or smile. I had done everything to try and bring it back, but they'd all failed. So I brought it back, a hard kiss to my own thumb while Virgil went into shock. Then, when I'd crawled off him, we'd started to laugh and talk. He was fine for a while. I'd repeat the motion every time it became to hard to bring a laugh or smile from him. Then I became Gear and Brainiack took me over. Virgil had been distant for a few days, we'd gone back to normal, and then he'd fallen back to faking his emotions. I'd done it several times, hoping for the same result as always.

Nothing.

Nada.

Nil.

Zilch.

Naught.

He'd closed himself off, but he didn't let go of me right away after the little joke lost it's luster. Slowly, just by holding me for a few minutes, his smiles and laughs returned. It was almost Magic. That was all it took, until the second bang. Then he needed more then a little reassurance. We'd gotten back to his house and gotten cleaned up, Virgil was sitting on his bed with his singed Static shirt in his lap.

"Even if he was a jackass, Hotstreak didn't deserve to go down like that. Ebon, the world is better off without, Hotstreak deserved a chance." I didn't understand what he meant, but instinct took over and I crawled, like a cat, into his lap. I put one hand on one of his legs and my knee resting on the cross of his legs. I couldn't stop the reaction I'd gotten from that.

He'd cupped my jaw lightly, I'd seen him do it with Daisy, so I knew what it meant, knew what he wanted. I closed my eyes once his lips had touched mine, I'd let him move so he was over me, so that he was dominating me. It worked. After we'd laughed it off, teased each other, he went back to normal and we ignored it. Until the next disaster. Then we'd ignore it again. And repeat.

It's been twenty years since then. I'm known as Gear now, but everyone, even Earthlings. He's Static to the world. Our families think we're dead, Daisy married a long forgotten crush, Mr. Hawkins tipped his hat to Gear and Static when he saw them, Sharon and Adam are married with two beautiful little girls, Rebecca and Victory. Yes, they're named for us, for Richie and Virgil. Not Static and Gear. Talon and Hotstreak, no wait, Theresa and Francis have a son with the voice of an angel and the temper of a demon. Little Damien loves visits from Static and Gear when we check in on the family.

Twenty years… it doesn't seem that long, but it is. It's long enough for traditions to die, friendships to loosen, and boys to become men. Sappy, but true. Not that it matters. I'm just a tech wiz for the Watch Tower. Back Pack is the new main frame, Creeper is the defense system and Hotstreak is our firewall. Things have changed, and so has Virgil. He's still him, but now he's Static at all times.

"**Rich." Richie turned and looked at his long time friend. His thoughts were pulled from his mind as the darker man walked towards him, "Rich." the blonde met him half way and closed the door with his mind, "Damien lost his first tooth." Richie smiled, "Rebecca's a genius with a laptop and Victory is learning fast to keep up with her sister." Richie nodded, he knew what was coming. Virgil pulled him close, "Adam got hurt… Permafrost… she's…" the kiss came before Richie could prep. The rest happened quickly, and Richie only noticed then ended as he looked at a sleeping Virgil from his window seat.**

When the Justice League took us from home… Virgil just need more because comfort didn't come from anyone else. He needed more and our first time was smooth and practiced. It was like we'd been doing it all our lives. Perhaps we had. We were best friends after all. We knew the other better then we knew ourselves. I can only really watch him on nights like these. Give him what he needs then sit back and watch him. He's Virgil on nights like this, not Static or Sparky.

I can feel him searching for me. Moving his hand to reach me, but I know he knows I don't stay in the bed. I cuddle, and I love it, but I can't just stay in the bed. Not when I have work that isn't finished. That doesn't mean I leave. I actually stay in the room and watch him. I don't know when his room became OUR room, but it happened. Not that uncommon. Lantern and Flash shared a room, Diana had one of her 'sisters' staying up here. Batman and Nightwing, John and Superman. We all had our comforts. I didn't really need any, after all, I didn't fight with them, but Static needed his Gear and Virgil his Richie. Sorta like a possession, but I'm not used all the time.

"**Static?" Richie jumped from the window, Static's jacket acting as a robe, "Sta-"**

**Richie pushed a hand over Green Lantern's mouth, "Shhhhh… he just got to sleep!" Flash, Batman and Superman looked confused. Richie huffed and leaned on the door frame, "If he sleeps at least four hours I'm lucky. He's only been out… five minutes and nine seconds. I don't expect him up until… 5:56, got it?" Richie knew he had no right to yell at them, but he wasn't even close to letting them interrupt something he'd spent three hours working towards.**

**Flash grinned, "Your such a good little house wife." that earned him a hurt foot, "Hey! I was kidding." Batman looked at Richie with amused annoyance.**

**Green Lantern sighed, "Has he slept at all this week?"**

**Richie sighed, "If he has, he's been sleeping in Dakota. I'm a lightly sleeper and Virg- Static's clumsy when he's exhausted." **

**Batman handed Richie a silver packet, "It's his. Don't know what for, but give it to him." Richie nodded and tossed it on the couch, "Is there a reason your in his coat?" Rich looked down at it.**

"**This is the one from the beginning. When I was Gear I changed out his cloths for things I designed to keep him as comfortable as possible." the hero's didn't question further, "There a reason your all here?"**

**Flash held up a deck of cards, "Poker. We wanted to see if he'd play." Richie rolled his eyes and rested his head on the frame of the door.**

"**Not tonight." and they were gone. As if by magic. Richie walked back to the bed and let the coat drop from around him. He slid into the bed and snuggled into Virgil. Sleep came over and lightly touched them, cooing them to dreamland.**

**Richie nuzzled Virgil's neck, "Hey, Rich." Richie opened an eye and swore they were twenty years younger in a moments time, "What's your favorite color?" Richie chuckled and kissed Virgil lightly.**

"**Any color you want it to be."**

It was all a joke in the beginning, but you know how some jokes have a lame punch line? That was this joke. The lame punch line? There isn't even a punch line. We're not really lovers, or friends, or partners. We're Virgil and Richie, Static and Gear, Sparky and Poindexter. We're hero's, and that's never going to change. If it did… well, then we'd fall like all superhero's, with a bang and a tragic morning world wide.

For right now though, I just don't want to move.

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a/n: I feel like it's finished... I think. I don't know. This one... it came so fast that I hardly really caught all of it. I know it's like most of mine, but I'm not sure if it's... done. Thank you for reading. *bow*


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